Excessive fat has been stated by medical authorities such as NICE as a great risk to health and can cause cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, stress, arthritis and some forms of cancer. It is no wonder that many obese people have woken up to the idea of dieting and getting fitter. Though there are several exercise routines that now answer the question on how to lose weight and improve health… swimming gets a higher score because it increases cardio vascular health and there is very little impact on the joints. It is also more sociable, pleasant and can be affective for weight loss if done with the right intensity.

Why is swimming good for weight loss?

Swimming can be an effective training modality as it can increase the heart rate rapidly using both aerobic and anaerobic forms of training; The effective resistance of the water can act on all the muscle groups and thus turns into a whole body workout;

Water offers a safe and reliable resistance putting the body into a catabolic state and hence swimming can be called as resistance training; by swimming and paddling at different speeds and by varying the intensity. Therefore it is evident that swimming is a complete and rigorous form of exercise which has a high potential to burn fat throughout the body.

How to maximize swimming effectiveness? Here are some ways in which you can get maximum results from your swimming efforts.

Ensure there is warm water in the pool.

It is considered that the water temperature in your pool should be around 27 C, plus or minus a few degrees, in order to help you burn away a good number of calories. The flip side to the water being cold is that when you emerge after your dip, you could end up feeling famished and gorge on more quantity of food. This would mean you are adding more calories than what you burned!

Use hydro equipment to increase calorie burning

By making use of hydro equipment like fins for the feet and a kickboard for the upper body, you can increase the legs’ effort level and improve cardio fitness quickly. Similarly, if you want to exert the upper body more, you could use a pull buoy between the legs which puts more stress on the arms, shoulders and back muscles. The use of hydro belts for pool running is also very efficient at increasing CV fitness and is an excellent way for injured runners to return back to fitness.

Swim safely in the right way

To stay safe and continue swimming regularly without breaks, you are advised to warm up and cool off before and after each swim session; you should also be careful to limit your efforts to within your capacity.

Getting maximum cardio from your swim

Cardio exercises that can get you out of breath are supposed to be the best way to burn excessive fat easily and quickly, because they lead to improved metabolism which is sustained for longer. You can also make your swims cardio intensive in different ways. For instance, by paddling vigorously with the legs till you are out of breath and then resting, you get a cardio workout right in the pool.

Enjoy your daily dips to stay motivated

It is essential to keep your swimming routine enjoyable without making it too strenuous or demanding. Only then are you likely to be consistent and regular in sticking to your training plan.

Your fitness can be measured through the assessment of the amount of oxygen the body can transport from the lungs to the heart and then to the muscles via the blood under certain load or stress (aerobic exercise).

Aerobic exercise or endurance activities is predominant in many individual and team sports where repeated bouts of running are required. However, in every individual there is a maximum level of exertion or intensity that can be reached using the oxygen/aerobic energy system.

Fitness Tests

When that point is reached an alternative energy resource is needed and is known as the anaerobic energy system. Anaerobic respiration relies on blood sugars/ glucose stored in the muscles for energy and is short lived usually lasting from 6 secs to 2 minutes and is characterised by very high intensity.

However, with aerobic energy , exercise is repeated or continual and is greater than 2 minutes. The maximum intensity of exercise an individual can reach using this system (aerobic respiration) is commonly known as VO2max and is measured in millimetres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute.

Undertaking any one of these tests will allow you to determine your VO2max fairly quickly. My favourite VO2max assessments are the MSFT and the 1.5 mile walk/run test. The accuracy of the 1.5 mile run for measuring fitness is fairly high at 0.89 compared to a scientific indoor running test which is 1.0. The MSFT is also accurate and its accuracy is measured at 0.91.

For the 1.5 mile walk/run test, I measure a 1.5 mile route ensuring that the route is flat and when undertaking the test there is no head wind. Alternatively 6 laps of a 400m athletic track is ideal. Depending on the time it takes to complete the 1.5 run, if you enter your time in the 1.5 mile walk/ run calculator you will get an accurate VO2max reading.

The Bleep test is another useful aerobic assessment which I use with personal clients and sports teams and which can be done indoors or outside. The benefits of doing the Bleep Test is that the test is standardised especially if done indoors. The conditions are repeatable so there is no deviation in the scores when done on a random or regular basis.

The Bleep Test and the 1.5 Mile Run Test are maximal tests that require you to give it your best shot! With that in mind if you have not undertaken any exercise in a long time it is prudent to made an appointment with your health advisor and have a medical check up.

Why should I have a fitness assessment?

Fitness tests, health tests, body measurements such as the BMI and waist circumference give you a starting point and also tell you exactly where you are in terms of health which is invaluable. Without this information you won’t have a direction to take, have any idea of what you need to achieve in terms of health and it would be similar to sailing a ship without a compass.

Once you have this information you can then make plans, set targets and goals and most of all remain motivated as you can chart your progress. Additionally, with the correct type of aerobic/ endurance training, maximum oxygen uptakes can be improved to a level that can guarantee protection against diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and many other associated metabolic diseases.

In summary, physical exercise and activities is not reserved just for the elite athlete or football team but has an important role to play in everybody’s life to ensure good health, energy and freedom to live, work and play.

Disclaimer: The aerobic test information on this website is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties, express or implied. HLMfitness.com makes no representations or warranties in relation to the aerobic testing information on this website.

Fitness is a commonly used term in the Health and fitness industry and it most commonly refers to either general fitness which is usually associated with health and well being and specific fitness which is carried out by sportsmen/women and professional athletes. General fitness can be described as the ability to carry out daily living, leisure and work activities without any undue stress or fatigue.

Why Do We Need Fitness?

Many organisations now see fitness as an important measure of the body’s ability to prevent the early onset of metabolic diseases and premature death through daily exercise and sensible diet. Health authorties now recommend a minimum 30 minutes moderate activity per day which can be broken down into three 10 minute sessions. These activities normally include a brisk walk, swimming, cycling or any activity that requires you to breathe slightly harder than your normal rate. However, to increase fitness it is recognised that some sort of moderate to hard exercise 3 times per week should be included.

A question that often is asked is “How do I achieve health and fitness?”. This may be the wrong question to ask and a better question to ask oneself could be… “How fit am I right now and what level of health and fitness do I need to have in order to have a healthy life free from heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and osteoarthritus?” Fortunately, due to extensive medical research both in the UK and the US we now know the exact minimum level of fitness that is needed for every person to live a long and healthy life.

Consequences of Being Unfit

Keeping yourself fit an important factor in everyday living. Consequently, you should understand why health and fitness is essential. Currently, the majority of the health problems are a consequence of an unfit and unhealthy body as well as poor nutrition.

Conditions like body pain and muscle discomfort especially in the lower back are the most prevalent outcomes of a poor lifestyle. Not enough physical exercise brings on excess weight gain and body fat and the shortage of actual physical exercise are primarily to blame for numerous health complications in youngsters and teenagers.

Why is Physical Fitness Important for Young Adults?

Newly released scientific studies have revealed some worrying facts about physical fitness among today’s young adults. Most adolescents spend at least 30 hours a week viewing television or computers as well as consuming excessive sugary snack items that leads to poor health. Nearly 50 per cent of the youngsters do not do any sort of physical exercise and as teens develop , quite a few of them have a tendency to avoid taking part in any physical training on a daily basis.

The onset of childhood diabetes and early stage heart disease is for the first time being evident in today’s young population which may be a sign of problems for the health and fitness industry in years to come.